Gender equality in sustainable forest management: why it matters

Sustainable forest management not only helps reduce forest degradation but also supports poverty reduction and improves livelihoods. Achieving these outcomes requires the meaningful participation of all groups that depend on and contribute to forest resources, including women, who play important roles in forestry and agroforestry systems. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) calls for greater recognition of women’s contributions to forestry and agroforestry systems across Europe and Central Asia. 

With support from FAO, Uzbekistan has already taken important steps to promote gender equality, mainstream gender considerations in the forestry sector,  and raise awareness of the vital role women play in sustainable forest management. The country has emerged as a champion of  forest landscape restoration, while also recognizing that successful restoration depends on ensuring that forest-dependent communities —including women—are not left behind. 

“Sustainable forest restoration requires women’s contributions to be matched by equal opportunities to shape decisions, access productive resources and benefit from forest-based development. By embedding gender equality in forest policies, investments and implementation, Uzbekistan can strengthen rural livelihoods, build more resilient communities and secure lasting restoration outcomes, while advancing its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Sherzod Umarov, Assistant FAO Representative in Uzbekistan.

The role of women in forestry and agriculture

In Uzbekistan, the State Forest Fund covers more than 26 percent – or 11.7 million hectares – of the country’s total land area. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are major contributors to Uzbekistan's economy and among the country’s largest sources of employment. Women account for more than 43 percent of employment in these sectors, making substantial contributions to household incomes, food production and national food security. 

Despite these important contributions, women continue to face systemic barriers to accessing productive resources, including information and technical knowledge, decent employment and decision-making opportunities. Access to land, water, livestock, credit, agricultural technologies, and extension services remains limited. Across Europe and Central Asia, women are more likely to be concentrated in informal, unpaid, or family labour and are rarely recognized as farm owners or managers. 

Women also face persistent challenges in accessing technology, information, and training. In addition, inadequate rural infrastructure and social services increase women’s unpaid domestic workload, leaving less time for education, professional development, and income-generating activities.

Building a more inclusive future

Continuing “business as usual” would mean that women’s contributions to agriculture, forestry, and natural resource management will remain undervalued. As the region faces growing challenges related to climate change, natural disasters, migration, and resource management, ensuring women’s equal participation – reflecting their real share of the work – in decision-making becomes increasingly important.

Uzbekistan has already taken important steps in this direction. The Forestry Agency’s Gender Strategy and Action Plan, developed with FAO’s technical assistance, aims to increase women’s representation in leadership positions to at least 20 percent and ensure that women account for at least 30 percent of participants in income-generating activities. 

FAO-supported training programmes across the country have already reached 442 women from forest-dependent communities, helping them diversify their incomes through handicrafts, beekeeping, medicinal herb production, and other forest-based enterprises.

By investing in rural women, Uzbekistan is not only improving gender equality, but also investing in poverty reduction, food security, sustainable forest management, and resilient rural communities, contributing to a more prosperous and just future in rural areas.